Peacock feathers, antlers seized from house of poacher

India: The person accused for the death of tiger ST-11 has been a habitual poacher.
The forest department has recovered peacock’s feathers and antlers from the house of alleged poacher Bhagwan Prajapat during a raid at his house in Kala Meda village. He also admitted to have poached other animals like sambar (deer) and wild boars inside the jungle with his friends in recent years.

The accused was arrested for laying a snare in which ST-11 got caught and died a painful death on Monday night. The forest department officials said they recovered a gun, along with antlers of Sambar (Deer) which Prajapat reportedly used for making kohl.

“Prajapat claimed that he used to burn and melt the antlers and make some kind of kohl for cattle. He used to sell kohl to other villagers at a high price,” an official told TOI, adding that the accused said that he also used to poach Sambar and wild boars and sell their meat to local hotels.

“The meat of Sambar and wild boars is in a high demand in hotels which are frequented by foreign tourists. He has admitted to laying similar snares in past too,” the official said.

The forest department is now hunting for other accomplices of Prajapat. The villagers TOI that many people at Kala Meda and Indok villages had set-up similar traps on their farms but removed them after ST-11’s death. However, this has set the alarming bells ringing for the department as tigress ST-9 roams through these villages. The forest department has now asked the electricity department that some villages have set-up illegal connections and set-up electric poles in their farms which can turn fatal for wild cats someday.

In another development, the Sariska authorities have banned the entry of vehicles into the park post 5 pm. The district forest officer (DFO) Balaji Kari issued these directions on Thursday.

The officials told TOI that local villagers will be able to move into the area after showing their identification card. The villagers were Kushalgarh miffed this sudden action and raised hue and cry against the DFO’s order. The villagers told TOI that they will protest against the order.

Earlier too, the forest authorities had issued the same directions but had to retract it in 2016 in the wake of severe protests by villagers.

Jaipur: The state government on Friday sought a report from the additional principal chief conservator of forests and chief wildlife warden on the death of tiger ST-11 on Monday, and missing of tigress ST-5 from Sariska Tiger Reserve (STR).

 In a letter issued to the official concerned, forest secretary R K Grover said that there seems to be laxity in the security and effective monitoring of the wild cats at the STR, leading to the death of ST-11 on Monday after he was caught in a snare in Kala Meda village in Alwar district allegedly by a poacher.

Expressing concern on the fate of the two big cats, the government has also asked the forest officials to submit a detailed report. “The report will cite loopholes and discrepancies in the existing monitoring system of the big cats at STR. The report has to be submitted to the state level standing committee within two months,” said a senior officer. The standing committee was set-up on February 12 of this year to look into such incidents and examine the laxity in the surveillance.

In order to avert any such mishaps in future, the report will not only include suggestions and recommendations to strengthen the safety and security of the big cats, but also the re-examination of the VP Singh committee recommendations in the current scenario.
(Source: The Times of India)